


Comes Great Responsibility

by redcandle17



Category: Mad Max Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Humor, Slit Lives, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-11
Updated: 2015-08-11
Packaged: 2018-04-14 02:14:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4546299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redcandle17/pseuds/redcandle17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Toast is commanding a scavenging party when it comes to her attention that she's expected to cuddle with her lancer to keep him warm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Comes Great Responsibility

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a fill for the kink meme prompt "[Slit/Toast] huddling for warmth, Toast and Slit end up in a situation where they need to huddle together to stay warm. UST happens though Toast refuses to admit she's attracted to that."

Toast was apprehensive about being alone with a bunch of War Boys. But if Furiosa could do it, then she could do it too. She tried not to show that she was afraid of them, barking orders as they set up camp for the night. They obeyed without hesitation, but she wasn’t convinced that they truly accepted her as their commander. She had taken to wearing a pistol strapped at each hip and a rifle slung across her back, which had earned her the nickname ‘the Bullet Queen’ which she had to admit was a little flattering. But she still didn’t trust them and she was fully prepared to shoot all of them if she had to.

She oversaw the distribution of the evening ration of food and water, then leaned against her car as she ate. Her War Boys had gathered in a cluster and were telling a series of violent and/or obscene stories and jokes. 

Toast took the first watch. It was the best watch to have, much more preferable to being awakened in the middle of the night or early in the morning, and she allayed her guilt at taking it for herself by reasoning that as the commander, she probably wasn’t expected to stand watch at all.

War Boys did things in pairs, which Toast had to admit was sensible, and so her lancer Slit stood watch with her. Toast didn’t trust him or like him. Nux had advised her that he was good to work with and that she just needed to beat him occasionally to keep him in line. Since she, minimally trained and half his size, wasn’t going to be able to beat him, she’d decided to shoot him in the shoulder or the leg if it ever came to that. 

Their watch wasn’t too bad until the other War Boys began to go to sleep. Then the silence became agonizing and she was almost tempted to talk to Slit, but she couldn’t think of anything to say. They were nearly at the end of their watch – finally – when one of the sleeping War Boys began to shiver violently.

Toast hurried to him. He was shivering so hard, his teeth were chattering. It was cooler than it had been earlier, but it wasn’t actually cold, not yet. When she put her hand on the boy’s forehead, she found that he was burning up. “What’s wrong with him?” she asked urgently.

Slit appeared unconcerned. “It’s just the night fevers.”

Toast had heard of this ‘night fever’ that afflicted the War Boys, but she’d assumed that it only affected those who were near the end of their half life. This War Boy had been deemed healthy enough to go on this run. But she supposed healthy for a War Boy was a very relative term.

“Isn’t there a blanket for him or a jacket or something?”

“No.”

Toast stared at him in disbelief.

“I’m okay,” said the sick War Boy, though he was very clearly not okay.

“His driver will keep him warm,” Slit told her. He lightly kicked the War Boy closest to the sick one. “Hey, Wrench needs you.”

This War Boy groaned wordlessly and shifted towards the sick one. He pressed his body against Wrench’s and wrapped his arms around him and went back to sleep like nothing had happened.

“That’s it?” Toast demanded. “It’s a disgrace.”

Slit seemed puzzled. “This is how War Boys stay warm.”

Toast could see now that her War Boys had arranged themselves into pairs, presumably so they could huddle for warmth when the night became colder. Muttering curses, she went to her car and grabbed her blanket. She carried it back to the sick War Boy and carefully covered him and his cuddle buddy.

“Why’d you do that for?” Slit asked.

“Because I’m his commander and he’s my responsibility.”

For the first time Toast began to wonder about the War Boys who’d been under Furiosa’s command. She’d assumed Furiosa had viewed them merely as cogs in Joe’s war machine, just another part of the thing she was fleeing from. But if Furiosa had gone to such lengths to protect her and Joe’s other wives, if she was that kind of person, then she must have felt some sort of responsibility for the War Boys who followed her.

It was only when she and Slit had been relieved from watch and she was curled up in her car that Toast realized something important. Since Slit was her lancer, did that mean she was expected to be his cuddle buddy? Had Furiosa cuddled with War Boys for warmth? Why hadn’t she warned Toast?! If Toast had known, she would have made sure everybody on this supply run had their own blanket. 

She didn’t think she’d get unbearably cold curled up inside the car. But there was no room in it for Slit. Well, maybe if she pushed the seat forward instead of reclining it… The Citadel’s cars were more weapon than a means of transport. Most of them had only a single seat inside, for the driver, with the lancers expected to cling to the outside of the car. Toast managed to clear enough space for two people. Though honestly there was only enough room because one of those people was her size. And even so it would be a tight fit.

But Toast had once heard someone say that a great hero called ‘Spider Man’ had said that with power came great responsibility. It was, unfortunately, her responsibility to keep her lancer warm. She opened the door and saw him lying not too far away.

“Slit,” she hissed quietly, trying not to disturb the others.

He must not have fallen asleep yet, because he quickly came to the car.

“Get in.”

“In the car?” he asked uncertainly.

“No, in my-“ Toast bit back the obscenity lest he took it for an invitation. “Yes, in the car.”

He crawled into the car. There was even less room than Toast had anticipated. She squeezed in beside him.

“I thought you hated me,” he commented.

“I do hate you,” Toast replied.

They shifted around, until it became obvious the only way they could both get physically comfortable was for his arms to go around her. It might be physically comfortable, but it was very discomforting in other ways.

“It was real nice of you to lend Wrench your blanket. Soft, but nice.”

It was bad enough that Toast could feel his breath warm on her ear. She refused to listen to him talk too.

“Shut up, Slit.”

He shut up, and Toast tried to imagine herself somewhere else as she drifted to sleep. Somewhere green. Somewhere warm, with plenty of cool, clear water. Maybe with some of those colorful little birds she’d seen in a picture. And strong arms wrapped around her… It was a nice dream.

It was less nice to wake up and realize that not all of it had been a dream. “Stop that! You wouldn’t nuzzle Nux!”

“What if I did nuzzle Nux?” Slit retorted unapologetically. 

He was joking. Or maybe not. Things happened when people were forced into such close contact. Toast wondered if Capable knew. 

“Go wake up the others and let’s hope we don’t find this supply depot emptied.” 

Hopefully the depot had blankets or fabric that could be used as blankets, so she wouldn’t have to cuddle with Slit again tonight. There were things even the Knowing hadn’t needed to know, and one of them was how it felt to wake up in that reptile’s arms.


End file.
